God Loves Winners…

God loves Tom Brady. And He loves Tim Tebow, too. The fact is, God loves everyone…winners and losers, big and small, rich and poor, the beautiful and the unlovely.

The fact that God loves us all without regard to winning percentage or net worth is a radical thought for most people. Success has to be the result of heavenly favor, some would say. And losing—whether in sport or something else—is the result of some divine disfavor.

Many mainstream media types and sports reporters fall prey to this “prove-it-or-lose-it” faith worldview. They’re the same ones who ridicule Tim Tebow for his unexplainable reliance on the God of the Bible.

Enter the Bible verse put forward by the media as the “motto for evangelical Christians.” I’m not sure the Bible can be boiled down to a simple slogan, but if Christians are to have a motto, this is a great start. After all, John 3:16 encapsulates the essence of the gospel message for every single person who lives, or who has ever lived.

You may, or may not, know it well. It says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).

During the second quarter of last week’s Broncos-Patriots game, Focus on the Family unveiled a 30-second spot featuring young children reciting these words.

The ad wasn’t about Tim Tebow or Tom Brady, and it wasn’t about success or failure. No, the message was for everyone: winners…and losers, big and small, rich and poor, the beautiful and the unlovely.